Arms Race Déjà Vu?

Staff / Truthdig May 30, 2007 Relations between the US and Russia may be strained by the Bush administration's planned implementation of an anti-missile shield in Eastern Europe Russian President Vladimir Putin had strong words for the U Tuesday as Kremlin officials proudly unveiled new missiles -- a month before Putin and President Bush will meet in Kennebunkport, Maine. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Litvinenko’s Suspected Killer Defiant

Staff / Truthdig May 23, 2007 After six months, a potential lead has emerged in the murder case of Russian expatriate Alexander Litvinenko (pictured), who died in England last November after allegedly being poisoned with radioactive polonium-210. However, the suspect, former KGB officer Andrei Lugovoi, denies that he had a hand in Litvinenko's death, according to the BBC. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Rice, Putin Trade Sharp Words

Staff / Truthdig May 11, 2007 Russian President Vladimir Putin, awaiting a visit by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, compared U foreign policy to that of the Nazis in the 1930s Meanwhile, Rice criticized Putin's administration for centralizing too much power at the Kremlin . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Putin Blasts Missile Shield Scheme

Staff / Truthdig Apr 26, 2007 Russian President Vladimir Putin took a moment during his final parliamentary address to make it eminently clear that he disapproves of a U.S. plan to create a missile shield in Eastern Europe, vowing to put a hold on Russian compliance with a key European military treaty in retaliation. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Boris Yeltsin Dead at 76

Staff / Truthdig Apr 23, 2007 The Kremlin released word on Monday of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin's death, apparently of heart failure. Yeltsin leaves behind a complex legacy. He was instrumental in Russia's transformation from Soviet state to democracy, but, as Mikhail Gorbachev noted, Yeltsin also made some "serious errors." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Russia Won’t Budge on Missile Defense

Staff / Truthdig Apr 23, 2007 Defense Secretary Robert Gates was dispatched to Russia on Monday to smooth over relations with Vladimir Putin, who is upset over U.S. plans to locate missile defense sites in Europe. Russia has repeatedly voiced its opposition to such plans, and Monday's meeting between Gates and his counterpart was no exception. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

St. Petersburg Showdown

Staff / Truthdig Apr 16, 2007 Russian riot police clashed with about 500 demonstrators Sunday in St. Petersburg. The situation escalated when the time the government had allowed for the rally expired but protesters continued to call for President Vladimir Putin to step down. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Putin Puts Kasparov in Check

Staff / Truthdig Apr 14, 2007 Vladimir Putin's regime, with the aid of 9,000 police officers, attempted to prevent a rally in Moscow by arresting opposition leader Garry Kasparov along with dozens of other protesters and even some journalists. The chess phenom has accused Putin of trampling on democracy. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Kremlin Condemns Exile’s Revolutionary Plot

Staff / Truthdig Apr 13, 2007 It sounds like the plot of a Hollywood suspense thriller, but exiled Russian multimillionaire Boris Berezovsky seems quite serious about his scheme to oust President Vladimir Putin's Moscow government in a "violent overthrow." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Another Russian Journalist Dies Prematurely

Staff / Truthdig Mar 7, 2007 Police say Ivan Safronov, a military correspondent for a major Russian newspaper, jumped out of a fifth-floor window. But the media and friends say it's likelier that he was murdered because his reporting had embarrassed Vladimir Putin's government. Thirteen Russian journalists were killed in 2006, making it the third-most-dangerous country to report from. (h/t: Largest Minority) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Putin Attacks U.S.

Staff / Truthdig Feb 10, 2007 The Russian president, normally a close ally of President Bush, used a security summit this week to lash out at American foreign policy, calling the U.S. "very dangerous." Vladimir Putin added that the United States has "overstepped its borders" and is "nourishing" a nuclear arms race. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Santa vs. Putin

Mike Luckovich / Truthdig Dec 3, 2006 Dig deeper